British computing company Quantum Motion has delivered the industry’s first full-stack quantum computer built with standard silicon chips in a major step towards mass production viability.
Deployed at the UK National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC), the government-owned national lab for the technology, the new computer is the first of its kind to use mass manufacturable 300mm silicon CMOS wafer technology, the industry standard used in smartphone and laptop production.
“This is quantum computing’s silicon moment,” said James Palles‑Dimmock, chief executive of Quantum Motion.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates you can build a robust, functional quantum computer using the world’s most scalable technology, with the ability to be mass-produced.”
Described as having a “data centre-friendly” design, the system has a data centre footprint of three 19 inch server racks.
“The NQCC is accelerating UK quantum capabilities by evaluating a number of diverse hardware platforms by leading companies worldwide,” said NQCC director Dr Michael Cuthbert.
“The successful installation of Quantum Motion’s system marks an important step forward in the NQCC’s quantum computing testbeds initiative. The NQCC team are really excited to start test and validation of the system and better understand how real-world applications will map onto its silicon architecture.”
Having raised around £50m since its founding in 2017, Quantum Motion has been moving towards commercialisation recently, including through the appointment of former director of product management at Google, Hugo Saleh, as its president and chief commercial officer.
“With the delivery of this system, Quantum Motion is on track to bringing commercially useful quantum computers to market this decade,” Saleh said.
“It’s a customer, user, and developer first approach – using standard CMOS, the basis for all modern technology, from mobile phones to AI GPUs, to deliver the revolutionary next inflection point in computing.”
Science Minister Lord Vallance added: “This new form of quantum computer from Quantum Motion will take this groundbreaking technology another step closer to commercial viability – which could help support healthcare with faster drug discovery or clean energy by optimising energy grids.”
“Our National Quantum Computing Centre offers a unique space for innovators to trial new quantum technologies.”
